we begin our coverage with a report from lindsay hilsum of independent television news. a warning: it contains graphic material. >> reporter: the survivors of mass rape around the village last month see an ordeal so dreadful it's hard to listen on their stories. more than 280 women were gang raped by militiamen in the forest of eastern congo. >> they would beat us for a long time. after they raped us, they would walk out and we would do our best to escape into the bush. sometimes we would have to crawl on the ground while they would rape us until dawn. they would also sometimes follow us into the forest aware of where we were hiding at night. if we were found, they would then rape us again. that's how they managed to rape all the women of this village. >> reporter: nearby u.n. peacekeepers failed to protect the women. their bosses in new york say they'll do better next time. but what about the rapists? sexual violence is endemic. under the international law, congress lease soldiers are on their best behavior but all sides rape in this bruta conflict. now a few soldiers i